Cincinnati Stars Dazzle Against Undermanned Montreal

MONTRÉAL — FC Cincinnati was too much to handle for CF Montreal on Wednesday night, overwhelming the hosts in a 3-1 win at Stade Saputo.

Evander led the way for Cincinnati, scoring twice and assisting another to celebrate his selection to the 2025 MLS All-Star Game, which was announced just prior to kick-off.

The Brazilian midfielder opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time, taking a silky touch to bring the ball down to his foot and dispatching it past Jonathan Sirois for his ninth goal of the campaign.

Luca Orellano was another bright spot for Cincy on the night, capping off his impressive display with a highlight-reel goal — his first of the year — in the 65th minute, assisted by his South American partner Evander.

“You can see everybody’s (reaction), including himself, just happy to see that first one go in,” Cincy head coach Pat Noonan said about his star winger’s first tally of the season. “So hopefully, that carries over into the weekend and moving forward. But it was a long time coming.”

Evander made it three for the guests with a neat finish after a great run down the flank by Lukas Engel.

“We knew going in that they had very talented players, and that we’d have a hard time containing them for a full 90 minutes,” Montréal assistant coach David Sauvry, who was in charge on Wednesday instead of the suspended Marco Donadel, said after the loss. “I thought we had a good first 30 minutes, and should probably have been ahead, but it was difficult to stop their momentum once they scored their first goal.”

Prince Owusu ended Roman Celentano’s clean sheet bid in the 90th minute with a headed finish from a nice cross, giving the Montréal fans something to celebrate on an otherwise forgettable evening.

Montréal were without some key players for the midweek clash, notably missing defender Joel Waterman and midfielder Nathan Saliba; two starters who are currently away with the Canadian national team at the Concacaf Gold Cup.

A handful of other notable players, including striker Giacomo Vrioni and midfielders Bryce Duke and Fabian Herbers, remain sidelined with injuries.

CF Montréal vs FC Cincinnati By the Numbers
CF Montréal	Stat	FC Cincinnati
51.8%	Possession	48.2%
4	Shots on goal	11
3	Corners	0
82.8%	Passing accuracy	85%
1.2	Expected goals	2.5

It’s a disappointing result for a team that enjoyed its most convincing game of the 2025 season last time out in Houston, beating the Dynamo 3-1 back on June 14. Montréal’s two wins so far this season have come away from home. They’ve only managed to collect three points at Stade Saputo in 2025, courtesy of three draws.

“I think we feel a little more pressure at home, and I have the feeling that we get stiff,” Owusu said post-game. “We have to be braver, in both the defense and offense. We play more nervous at home than away, and we have to find solutions to that.”

Cincinnati will travel to Orlando on Saturday, while CF Montréal will host New York City FC in the second of a four-game homestand.